Fully SIM Unlocked iPhones

[MacRumors]

Engadget posts confirmation that iPhoneSimFree can provide a software application that will completely unlock the iPhone, allowing you to use other mobile network's SIM cards.

The six-man team has been working non-stop since launch day, and they're officially the first to break Apple's SIM locks on the iPhone. It's done. Seriously. They wouldn't tell us when and how they would release it to the public, but you can certainly bet that they'll try to make a buck on their solution (and rightly so).

Engadget posts screenshots and notes from the install. Some highlights:

- The unlock process took only a couple of minutes
- The General -> Network menu now has an EDGE network settings area where you can input your carrier's APN and username / password
- No Visual Voicemail. (but regular dial in voicemail works)
- The method claims to be restore and upgrade resistant

It appears iPhoneSIMFree will start selling this application next week.

SIM Unlocking the iPhone will allow users to use other GSM-based mobile networks with the iPhone. For U.S. customers, this limits you to simply switching to T-Mobile from AT&T, but international customers now have much more flexibility and could use the iPhone on any GSM network.

Article Link

[Maxiseller]

It will be very interesting to see if Apple Legal puts a stop on this...and if so, on what legal grounds.

[erockerboy]

Funnily enough.... I just saw this story a moment ago:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/APW...D8R7FOD00.html

Who's really "the first" ???

Interesting prospect, in either case....

[jialuolu]

Holy craaap, totally snagging one off eBay now.

[InLikeALion]

Wow. This appears to be much more desirable than the soldering method AppleInsider has been reporting. Who would want to crack open something that expensive and put a soldering iron to it?

[bdj21ya]

Pretty sweet! I'm excited to see what the program will cost. I don't think that visual voicemail and some service over EDGE is necessarily worth giving money to the evil AT&T (AT&T does a lot of evil things like extending your contract without telling you, and they have a terrible customer service dept. with no interest in helping people).

T-mobile is by far the most customer friendly national U.S. carrier.

[Manatee]

That's good news. I'll watch it for a while (through the next update) and if the unlock is unaffected then I'll probably do it. I already have a T-Mobile account, so I'd come out ahead paying the termination fee to AT&T and using the iPhone as my TMob phone.

And being able to use local SIMs with the iPhone when travelling will be great.

Thank you, iPhoneSIMFree. You deserve to make a few bucks off this.

[kwood]

This is awesome. Although I still can't justify spending $599 on a phone I wouldn't use. I barely use my cell phone now as t is.

[Taylor C]

From the article, it seems like a lot of the functionality required for the iPhone to work on other carriers such as EDGE settings and automatically routing voicemail functionality to a non-visual source (T-Mobile, for instance), has been there since the beginning.

[cromestant]

YES YES YESSSS!!!

I m hopping literally!!!! WHEEEE

sorry if i seem stupid but , you know what the changes are that apple gets the iphone to venezuela?

So this is the only way i can actually get it!

[SuparShadow]

I predict a lawsuit.

[koobcamuk]

Originally Posted by cromestant

YES YES YESSSS!!!

I m hopping literally!!!! WHEEEE

sorry if i seem stupid but , you know what the changes are that apple gets the iphone to venezuela?

So this is the only way i can actually get it!

Just don't use data on it... that would be soooooo expensive!!!!!

[plumbingandtech]

make a buck on their solution (and rightly so)

Why? For circumventing apple's intellectual property they deserve a buck?

But But But information wants to be free!! Free as in speech!!!

Why don't they "give" it to the open souce community for free?

/snark



I bet apple forces them to change their domain name too.

[iansilv]

I dont see Apple putting much effort in to killing this. Wy would they care? It is only a niche group of people that will unlock it, so why not sell more iphones? Also- wouldnt this be convenient way for them to get out of exclusivity with ATT?

[xUKHCx]

Originally Posted by SuparShadow

I predict a lawsuit.

I've been following the iPhoneDev team and from their pages it suggests that everything they are doing is legal.

I don't imagine it would be too long before they complete their hacking.

[OrangeCuse44]

well, being able to use T Mobile doesnt help me any. verizon owns me...

[spazzcat]

Originally Posted by iansilv

I dont see Apple putting much effort in to killing this. Wy would they care? It is only a niche group of people that will unlock it, so why not sell more iphones? Also- wouldnt this be convenient way for them to get out of exclusivity with ATT?

I seem them releasing must have new features next week which also break this

[devilot]

Originally Posted by iansilv

I dont see Apple putting much effort in to killing this. Wy would they care?

Because Apple makes a cut of money from AT&T services, not just the physical iPhone.

[Small White Car]

I can see the appeal for people in other countries, but I don't think this matters much in the U.S.

I can give up visual voicemail just so I can use T-Mobile? Yee-Haw!

[JPark]

Originally Posted by bdj21ya

T-mobile is by far the most customer friendly national U.S. carrier.

My friend recently switched to T-mobile from AT&T because she got poor reception where she lives. Her reception isn't any better and her phone bill went from about $80 to over $200. She called them and they allowed her to switch plans which brought it down to $120. Ouch.

That's just one customer, but it highlights the point that all the carriers have their problems. The only people I never hear complaining about their carrier are Verizon customers, but none of them seem to know that Verizon disables features on their phones (did that Bluetooth class action suit ever get resolved?) so I don't know if I really trust their judgment.

[ATG]

3rd party development and unlocking, looks like I'm getting an iPhone!

[MrCrowbar]

That's nice indeed. Yay for prepaid users!
Too bad I got a new phone a few weeks ago because the old 2002 cell phone was dying. Oh well, I'm not in a contract (bought the phone, putmy SIM in it) so I can get an iPhone anytime now.

Also I love the Terminal App in there. It's geeky but you can do a lot with that

[JPark]

I'm already a Cingular customer, but don't want a data plan. Any thoughts on if this would allow me to use the iPhone with my current plan and still use the Visual Voicemail?

[Stella]

The iPhone should have never be locked up in the first place.

Consumers pay full price for a phone.. and *still* be told what cell networks they can / can't use.

This application should be welcome. Consumer freedom.

[jingbugle]

Originally Posted by erockerboy

Funnily enough.... I just saw this story a moment ago:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/APW...D8R7FOD00.html

Who's really "the first" ???

Interesting prospect, in either case....

This claims to be only software based where as the link you posted uses both hardware and software. Software only solution is the more desirable soln.